Authors On The Ranch

Find Friends at the Farmer's Market at Lakewood Ranch

The second Sunday of the month, January 9, the Friends of the East Manatee Library at Lakewood Ranch will host two local authors. Visit our tent and learn how you can support the future library that is under construction in Lakewood Ranch.

 We are fortunate to have Robert Lewis Heron as part of January’s Authors on the Ranch program. Robert was born in Glasgow, Scotland and now resides in Florida. He is an author, poet, and accomplished artist. His writings run the gamut from murder, suicide and broken hearts to glamorous, wondrous places. He takes his readers throughout the world on quests for fame and fortune.

Among other interests, he also writes children books for the Hamish Foundation, a charity that raises money for children in need in St. Andrews, Scotland. Hamish was a real ginger-colored cat who now is honored with a statue in the town. He is believed to bring good luck. In Robert’s books, Hamish dreams of things he would like to do and then goes on adventures with his friends.

In 2019, Robert won The Sarasota Fiction Writers Contest for his essay about Salvador Dali who was the topic for the Selby Gardens exhibit the following year. He believes in Unicorns (a Scottish symbol) so anything goes with his sense of humor and storytelling. Let’s all raise a glass of Scotch to him and his continued writing.

Connie Farmer NOON - 2:00 PM

Connie Farmer started writing as an outlet to heal herself. In doing that, she felt she could motivate others. Her inspiration comes from her viewpoint of helping other young women overcome feelings of hopelessness from depression, physical and sexual abuse, drug addiction and homelessness; all of which she experienced. She is proof that you can overcome adversity if you try, and she hopes her writing will turn someone's life around. In her case, she wrote three books from her journals and life experiences.

Her first book Keep Smiling and Have Faith, is a devotional book. Her second, C.H.O.I.C.E.S.: Triumph Through Adversity is her autobiography and takes you on her journey to be the person she is today. Her accomplishments and her views on life and faith are remarkable considering all she overcame.

While she is originally from Indiana, she found it to be stifling so she moved to Florida where she finds the sun is a healing part of her life. More information on her books can be found here.